Mothers Know Best
by briefbeauty
Summary: Kitty comes up with a plan to get her mother off her back - she would get a 'pretend' fiancé... after all this always worked out well in the books and films.
1. Chapter 1

_Pride and Prejudice_ doesn't belong to me.

 **Mothers Know Best**

Catherine 'Kitty' Bennet knew that she should be happy. That this was a good day for the Bennets especially since something positive had finally happened to them. For a while after Lydia's elopement it had seemed as if the Bennets were doomed to be a topic of gossip around the village.

It was absurd. Everyone acted like it wasn't the twenty-first century; so Lydia had eloped with good-for-nothing George, such things and worse happened all the time. Kitty didn't understand why everyone went on and on about it Lydia and George were married which was more than could be said for Prudence, Mrs. Miller's daughter, she was sixteen and pregnant and her boyfriend the Wallace boy had been recently arrested for possession. Still for some unfathomable reason the neighbours went on and on about the Bennets. It was ridiculous.

Well at least today the stories would change. They would have something nice to say about the Bennet girls, Jane and Elizabeth were getting married, a double wedding, the first in the village and Mrs. Bennet would hold the proud place of having the most children married off.

Kitty had tried to point out that having the 'honour' of having her children well educated with degrees from some of the best universities in the country and the fact her children were successful; Lizzy as a pediatrician, Jane a barrister, Mary a lecturer, while Lydia was a housewife the fact that Kitty had yet to be gainfully employed hadn't come up, thankfully; would not do for Mrs. Bennet on this occasion.

"What are university degrees and careers when there is such a thing like being married?" Mrs. Bennet had asked. "Marriage is the only thing and today I show the whole of Hertford how successful I have been as a parent."

Kitty was trying, and failing miserably, to be happy that her sisters were getting married. She _was_ happy that they were happy but such an occasion couldn't help but draw attention to her own single status and as her dear Mama had hinted she fully expected her to follow in her sisters' footsteps soon.

"Conrad, you know the youngest Sheppard boy is back," Mrs. Bennet had told Kitty the previous evening.

"Conrad?"

"Yes, Kitty," Mrs. Bennet said. "Don't pretend that you don't know who I am talking about."

"Mother," Kitty had protested. "You do know that he's only nineteen."

"So what?" Mrs. Bennet replied. "A woman of your age can't be choosy. Very soon you'll be thirty."

Luckily Elizabeth had come in at that time and Kitty had gone to help her sister.

000

Ronald Bellman adjusted his bowtie and made himself comfortable on the rock. He couldn't understand why his cousin Charles had insisted that he be part of his wedding party. First of all, it was in some place Ronald wouldn't have been caught dead visiting if his mother hadn't forced him to attend, and secondly it was a double wedding, they surely didn't need groomsmen and bridesmaids. He couldn't wait for the ceremony to end, and then he'd be on the first train back to London.

"There you are."

Ronald Bellman turned and looked at the young woman who was standing infront of him. She seemed familiar and he vaguely remembered seeing her before.

"Here I am," he replied.

"Are you hiding?" she asked him. "Because if you are this wasn't a very clever hiding place."

Ronald had indeed gone to the back of the church to hide but he wasn't going to admit it. He shrugged at Kitty as he took in her fetching pink and white dress it came to him why she was so familiar, she was Kitty Bennet, sister to the brides and one of the bridesmaids.

"Are you hiding?" Kitty asked him again.

"No."

"Good," she replied. "I have been sent to tell you that you have fifteen minutes."

"Okay."

Ronald expected Kitty to leave but she sat down next to him and he looked at her in surprise. Kitty was grateful to have a moment's rest; it seemed to her that she hadn't had any time to herself the whole weekend with helping with the wedding preparations and dodging all the men her mother insisted on introducing her to.

"You don't want to be here, do you?" she asked him.

"What gave me away?"

"Don't worry it will be over soon and then you'll go back to your life," Kitty said.

"It's not that I'm not happy for Charles, I really am," Ronald was trying to convince Kitty as much as himself, "but I don't see why I have to be part of it."

"I totally agree," Kitty told him.

"The worst part of it though," Ronald continued, "is that now Charles' getting married Mother is going to turn all her attention on me. She probably has twenty girls all lined up to introduce me to even today." Mrs. Bellman had already introduced him to three girls.

"Mothers."

000

"Do you think it'll work?" Mrs. Bennet asked.

"I have no doubt." Mrs. Bellman was very confident.

Mrs. Bennet watched as Kitty and Ronald made their way into the church and turned to her friend unconvinced.

"Knowing my son," Mrs. Bellman told her. "They've probably already come with a silly story to tell about how they're dating to stop us from introducing them to any new people."

"Okay," Mrs. Bennet was still doubtful. The two women had tried for months to get Kitty and Ronald to meet but they had failed until this weekend and Mrs. Bennet wasn't sure about this new plan.

000

"Kitty," Mrs. Bennet said to her daughter as they were leaving the reception and making their way towards Longbourn. "I hope you don't mind but I told William that you would show him around the village tomorrow. He'll come around at about noon." William was distantly related to the Lucases and he was one of the many young men that Mrs. Bennet had introduced to Kitty that weekend.

"Sorry, Mama," Kitty replied. "I already have plans with Ronald."

'Ronald?"

"You met him, he was one of groomsmen, Charles' cousin," Kitty said.

"Fine, but don't forget Nelson is joining us for tea," Mrs. Bennet reminded her.

"I doubt we'll be back by then," Kitty said.

She had to find Ronald and tell him that their plan would have to go into action much sooner than expected. Thank God they had come up with a plan.

000

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	2. Chapter 2

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Kitty flopped onto her bed. She had attended church with her parents, like the dutiful daughter that she was pretending to be. She wished she could have escaped with Mary the night before, but Mary had a conference to attend in Brussels and her flight had been at 2:00 am, and they were no way Kitty could join her.

She knew that she was a great disappointment to her parents. It had taken her five years, instead of the usual three it took everyone else, to get her degree in Hospitality Management. She hadn't even wanted to go to university in the first place and had spent two years almost failing every course until Elizabeth had pointed out to her that it was her life she was ruining and not her parents'.

Now, she had her degree in hand and she had no idea what to do with it. Her aunt, Mrs. Phillips had offered a job at her guesthouse and Kitty knew that she would have no choice but to work with her. Not that Kitty didn't really want to work – it would be good to earn her own money but working with Aunt Phillips meant that she would have to live at home and being the only unmarried daughter in the Bennet household had already proved challenging.

"These just came for you," Mrs. Bennet entered Kitty's room with a bouquet of roses. "I'm taking them back downstairs, of course, but I thought that you should know immediately that you had received flowers."

"Thanks Mum," Kitty said.

"There was no card," Mrs. Bennet said, "but Johnny, the young lad from Netherfield, brought them over so they must be from your young man."

"He's not my young man," Kitty replied immediately. Until that moment Kitty had almost forgotten about Chuck's cousin Ronald Bellman. Bother. She had hoped that he would have already left by now.

"It's a good thing that Ronald is taking you out for lunch," Mrs. Bennet said, "Your father and I have a function at the Women's Institute. The husbands arranged a party to celebrate their wives and we'll be receiving presents from our husbands as well, I hope your dear Dad bought me a suitable gift and not one of those tea sets men are so fond of giving their wives."

Mrs. Bennet had been in a tizzy – this weekend was going to be such a busy one for her, first with the double wedding and the WI do. She hadn't had such activity in months – not since Lydia's wedding – and she was determined to enjoy every second.

"At what time is he picking you up?"

"Uh… we'll meet at the restaurant," Kitty replied wishing they had really talked through their whole plan.

"What?" Mrs. Bennet said. "That won't do at all. Surely he wants to meet us?"

"Right, yes," Kitty made for the door. "Let me ring him and tell him."

000

"I really wish you had been more interested in picking out the flowers," Mrs. Bellman said.

"Why?"

"They were for your Kitty," she smiled at him.

"For Kit – why?" Ronald asked.

"To tell her that you're thinking of her, of course," Mrs. Bellman replied, "it's such a pity that we didn't wake up in time for church this morning."

Ronald had a pounding headache. He'd had a very late night, and since he barely went out at all, the wedding celebrations had worn him out. He couldn't wait to get back to his flat and rest.

"I'm sure the Bennets were at church this morning," Mrs. Bellman added.

"Uhmm. What time do you think you'll be ready to leave?" he asked his mother. "I want to get back as soon as possible."

"But you can't," Mrs. Bellman was horrified.

"Why not?"

"You're taking Kitty out to lunch," she told him.

Bother. Ronald had forgotten all about Kitty Bennet and all their plans. "Right, of course," he told his mother. "I meant what time this afternoon."

"I don't even know why we have to leave so soon," his mother complained, "you took a whole week off."

Ronald sorely regretted giving his mother that information – not that it would have mattered, he worked at a family-owned advertising firm, so she would have found out anyway.

"I just want to be in my own space," Ronald said.

"I understand," Mrs. Bellman smiled, "but it's nice that you get to spend time with Kitty, isn't?"

"Yes," he smiled back at her.

"I can't say that I really understand this long distance relationship thing," she continued, "but I guess it must be easier now with all this new technology, although nothing can take the place of actually spending time together."

"We'll make it work," Ronald assured his mother. "Besides, Hertford isn't that far from London."

"Of course not, dear," Mrs. Bellman agreed. "I can't tell you how happy I am that you found her."

"So am I," Ronald assured her. "So am I."

"I was so worried," Mrs. Bellman said. "I wondered if I'd ever have grandchildren but now I'm not worried anymore."

"That's good," he forced a smile.

"So, what time are you picking her up?"

"I'm going to call her and find out if she's ready," Ronald said.

000

"Hi, I was just about to call you," Kitty said. She had just been about to pick up the phone when it rang.

"How are you?" Ronald asked her.

"Fine," Kitty replied. "Very fine."

"So, I'm on my way over," Ronald said.

"Great," Kitty replied. "Mum can't wait to meet you officially."

000

"Sorry," Ronald said as soon they left Longbourn. "We should have talked and made proper plans."

"I'm the one who said that we were meeting this afternoon," Kitty said. Later she would wonder how Mrs. Bellman had known about that meeting; Ronald had confessed that his mother was the one who had told him about it.

"Still," Ronald insisted. "We actually need to agree on certain things … like when we'll be meeting especially since you live here and I live in London."

"That fact alone should solve all our problems," Kitty pointed out. "We both have work which will mean that we won't actually be able to spend much time together."

"That would be fine if my mother wasn't talking grandchildren."

"You know what?" Kitty asked. "Let's just get through lunch first."

000


End file.
